Roman Cat Sanctuary at Largo di Torre Argentina
Free: All time So Largo di Torre Argentina is not in Argentina. It’s in Rome, Italy. And this square is not named after the country Argentina, but the city of Strasbourg in Germany. Go figure! In any case, at Torre Argentina, you will find the remains of four Republican Roman temples (400-300 BC), and the...
Numimastic Museum of the Italian Mint
Free: All time Housed in the Italian Treasury, the Numismatics Museum has an extremely valuable collection of about 20,000 items, including coins, medals, minting tools and wax patterns. The section devoted to coins contains a rich collection of issues by Italian and foreign states from the Middle Ages to the current day, together with an...
“Aperitivo” Free Buffet
Free: All time Back in the days, “aperitivo” meant small appetizers (olive, nuts, chips) served during pre-dinner drink but today it has become a full-fledge complimentary buffet meal. Basically, for a price of a drink, you’ll get to eat free of charge. Although not all bars offer this, the practice has become more and more...
Historic Museum of the Liberation of Rome
Free: All time This small, modest museum is housed on several floors of a nondescript apartment building. However, what makes the Historic Museum of the Liberation of Rome site interesting is that it was once the headquarters of the German SS Kommandateur during WWII. It was then transformed into a prison in January 1944, where...
Altare della Patria (The Wedding Cake)
Free: All time The Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland) a.k.a “II Vittoriano” is a controversial monument built in honour of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of a unified Italy. It also holds a guarded eternal flame at the tomb of an unknown Italian soldier from WWI. The monument is controversial since its construction...
La Bocca della Verità (The Mouth of Truth)
Free: All time La Bocca della Verità (The Mouth of Truth) is an image, carved from Pavonazzo marble, of a man-like face, located in the portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. The sculpture is thought to be part of a first-century ancient Roman fountain, or perhaps a manhole cover, portraying one of...
Gallery of the National Academy of San Luca
Free: All time The Accademia di San Luca, (the “Academy of Saint Luke”) was founded in 1577 as an association of artists in Rome with the purpose of elevating the work of “artists”, which included painters, sculptors and architects, above that of mere craftsmen. In 1620s, Pope Urban VIII extended broad rights to the academy...
Vatican Museums
Free: Last Sunday each month 8:30am – 2pm (last admission at 12:30pm) What started as a group of sculpture collections by Pope Julius II in the 16th century has today become the 5.5 hectare Vatican Museums complex. Perhaps best known for its Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo’s famous nine-panelled murals, the Museum also houses many other...
